‘Fun-loving’ student drowned after kayak capsized
CORONER CONCLUDES: THERE IS NO SAFE RIVER
A student drowned in a swollen, “dangerous” fast-moving river after his kayak capsized and his foot became stuck, an inquest heard.
Thomas Christopher Lloyd, a third-year environmental management student at Bangor University, was killed while kayaking along a stretch of the river Glaslyn in Gwynedd in September last year.
The 24-year-old, described as “fun-loving with a heart of gold” had been kayaking there with his friend Jack Swann, who gave evidence to the hearing in Caernarfon.
Mr Swann told North Wales senior coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones: “We put the boats into the river and did three or four laps of a 300-metre section of river, getting out at the exit point and walking back up and repeating.”
Mr Swann said he paddled down river and watched as his friend followed. He capsized in one of the rapids and could not right the craft.
He said: “I saw him get out and as he came down river he took some big hits, colliding with some boulders.
“I shouted instructions and paddled ahead to the next eddy.”
But when he got there Mr Lloyd was face down in the water and was unresponsive.
“I tried to reach him ● but he was too far away,” Mr Swann added.
Attaching a line to his friend, Mr Swann got closer but found that Mr Lloyd’s foot was trapped and he could not dislodge him. The alarm was raised and mountain rescuers, police and fire fighters rushed to the scene, near Pont Aberglaslyn. Michael Mapp, of North Wales Fire Service, said the river conditions were dangerous for the rescuers and decision was taken to recover the body the following morning when the water level had subsided and the flow had slowed. A post-mortem showed Mr Lloyd, from near Lichfield in Staffordshire, had drowned.
North Wales senior coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones said both men were experienced kayakers and were well aware of the risks.
He said: “They did three laps of the river section and it must have been an exhilarating and exciting time for them.
“Unfortunately, on what turned out to be the last run, Mr Lloyd’s kayak capsized and he was unable to recover it.
“He left the boat and went with the current bouncing from rock to rock, as is inevitable.”
Concluding Thomas Lloyd had died as a result of an accident, the coroner said he viewed kayaking in the same way he viewed mountaineering.
“There is no safe mountain and similarly there is no safe river,” he said.
In a statement after the hearing his family said: “A fun-loving young man with a heart of gold, Tom’s sudden death has left his family and friends with a big hole in their lives that they are struggling to come to terms with.
“Our hearts also go out to Jack, who tried desperately to save Tom.”
The family also thanked all the rescue services involved in the incident for their “professionalism, care and compassion”.